#BlackHistoryMonth: February 1 kicks off Black History Month, which started in 1926 to celebrate the February birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. It became officially recognized by the US government in 1976. Twitter has given the hashtag its own custom emoji, with three fists in different shades. On the trending topic, people are tweeting iconic moments in Black history, with poet Langston Hughes and sculptor Edmonia Lewis also claiming trending spots on Twitter.